Women's fiction writer: strong characters, pacey plots, love stories, mystery, travel - including the overland trail to India - and historical fiction (as Janet MacLeod Trotter). Jan runs an online reading group called bookgroupies. This site includes diary entries and photos from her experiences on the hippy trail in the 1970s. Enjoy the nostalgia!

Welcome from Jan

Hi there! This blog is for those who love both books and travel. I'm starting by travelling back in time to the 1970s and the overland trail to India which I took as an 18 year old. Have a look at my daily diary entries and photos. Some of these places are impossible to visit at the moment, but I can give you a flavour of what they were like in the golden age of the hippy trail.

Sunday, 18 April 2010

" Late morning - 8.0! Wrote pcs and lazed around in sun during morning. Snooped round other Swagman bus and played Tamla Motown - they've much better selection than us. Few of us left, had omelette and beans for lunch.

Lift in with Magic Bus. Tried to get Nanette [girl we gave lift to from Methoni] away on the bus to London, but got there too late. Chased round square to contact Geoff and get her luggage back to camp. By late afternoon finally started sightseeing!

Made way up narrow lanes to Acropolis, kept losing everybody. While at Acropolis most tourists were leaving and sun going down between the pillars of the Parthenon, hazy view out to sea. View of Temple of Zeus and other hill (Athens not an attractive city - much of it dug up and half built, very dirty). Guards and band appeared and played while flag lowered. Men blew whistles frantically when anyone tried to go inside Parthenon. One attendant gave us a pollo; another called Jan Athena, me Aphrodite and Rob Zeus! All seem very friendly.

We wandered down small streets, little leather shops etc, till came to restaurant with tables in street, waiter just about dragged us off street and sat us in front of menu. Presumed this was where we were to meet Fred. Had Demestica while waited then ordered meal. Had disappointing shishkebab and greasy cheese salad - flung half on floor trying to get off skewer - dogs ate it! Loads of cats too. Nanette came across us - had been lost in area. Eventually Fred and other Swagman driver Steve found us.

At 9.0 we went up to see Son et Lumiere looking across at Acropolis. Thought it over dramatic, some of it quite hilarious. "Thwack, wack, build and build" and mad dash of running feet, like something out of the Goons! Afterwards several of us went for a coffee down from Acropolis in big empty restaurant with carpets and bags on the wall. Got lift home with other Swagman bus."

About Me

I belong to a big family and a big clan - the MacLeods. At 18 I climbed on a bus going to Kathmandu. When I eventually got home I went to Edinburgh University to do Social Anthropology and study student life. I have been a published writer since the mid 1980s. (19 novels including historical sagas, mysteries and a childhood memoirs called Beatles and Chiefs, many short stories and articles. Have edited Clan MacLeod Magazine and had a column in the Newcastle Journal).Check out my historical novels (Amazon top sellers and also best-sellers in France, Russia and Italy),childhood memoir and mystery novels (one about the hippy trail) at: www.janetmacleodtrotter.com